Play by Play
by N. Silvutra Mayhem
Summary: How Lelouch's harem came to be, and what he intends to do with it. Except things get in the way, and not everything likes going to plan. Shenanigans? Yes please. Lelouch/EVERYONE - no, seriously.
1. The Beginning

**A/N:** I haven't written something this silly before... Timeline-wise? R2... other than that, it's messed up. Don't think too much, you're here for the harem anyway, right? (I am XD)

Note: this is unbeta'd, because my usual beta doesn't want anything to do with this. Anyone up for the job?

Yes, there will be guy/guy. If you're against that kind of thing, I'll tell you this now: it's not what you think. And don't worry about seeing a lot of it - the guys wouldn't show too much affection in public (i.e. most of the story) and there are way more girls in the harem. Unless I get a lot of requests for guys, in which case.. :/

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><p><strong>Play by Play<br>**_by N. Silvutra Mayhem_

**1: The Beginning**

If anyone asked, it had definitely, _definitely_ been C.C.'s idea.

It all started a week ago, after Sayoko's dreadful impersonation, one which subjected him to twenty-four hours of nothing but dates, dates and more dates. Shirley had been last, royally pissed off (for some reason - why were girls so possessive anyway?) and the only freedom he'd been given was through Milly's intervention.

Intervention... that quickly turned into an event. An event which, without Rolo's help, would have become a massacre.

Lelouch had told C.C. about his troubles, since the witch kept wanting to know what was on his mind anyway-and a little extra wouldn't have hurt-and no he was definitely not ranting to her at all-even when she had that stupidly big smirk on her face the whole time and-

And she'd said one line:

_"You haven't considered that love can be a weapon greater than the Geass, have you?_"

...that was why he, Lelouch Lamperouge, once vi Britannia and seventeenth prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, was waiting in the gardens for one Shirley Fenette to arrive.

It wasn't so bad. The gardens, similar to most of Britannian-rebuilt locations, were beautiful. Sweeping pathways bordered majestic trees, and immaculate grass lawns sat aside vivid flowering displays. Even the minimalistic architecture enhanced every element as if nature required Britannian influence if it wished to be as picturesque as it did. The fountain he was leaning on, some white, spiralling tower that could only have been Clovis's own design, easily sat as the centrepiece to reflect its surrounds.

If Lelouch hadn't been the very man in charge of the rebel groups, he might have forgotten the Black Knights existed.

"Lulu!"

Shirley ran up to him, sandals sliding along gravel that hissed with every step. She looked pretty, he had to admit, her strawberry-blonde hair matched the long dress she'd chosen to wear. A small jacket kept her warm, one she was trying to rearrange the collar of so it was no longer caught under her handbag.

"Shirley," he greeted. Experimentally he allowed a small smile to appear on his face, and when she blushed he filed that information away for further use. "You look lovely."

She didn't blush and stutter, as he'd anticipated: instead, her lips formed a smile mirroring his own.

"You look nice too," she said.

Lelouch nodded a little as if in agreement; after he'd told Sayoko, the maid had picked an outfit for him at once. She didn't even question the decision that _he_ would be the one to go on the date with intent to gather data. He didn't even need to give any explanations to convince her!

Shirley spoke, just as the two linked arms - initiated by her, of course, something Lelouch would keep in mind later - and began leaving the gardens. "Zero isn't going to do anything today, right?"

And _that_ was another contributing factor to Lelouch's plan. She'd come to him a few days before, telling him she knew he was Zero. Which would have been a concern in itself, but instead of using it as leverage and blackmail material (as any sane person would), she said she still loved him (there it was again, _love!_) and that she didn't mind.

Even though Zero killed her father.

"He couldn't, even if he wanted to," Lelouch replied. "He is occupied for the rest of today."

He wasn't too concerned about being overheard since he'd spoken softly, but was surprised when she blushed and glanced away. In all honesty, Lelouch never expected it: he'd meant the statement as a matter of fact. Maybe it had something to do with him leaning in and their increased proximity; there _was_ only so far a whisper could travel.

He suppressed a sigh. Why was this strange mix of chemicals in the brain so difficult to comprehend?

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><p>The date had gone pretty well, Lelouch thought. He'd gathered a lot of data, and towards the end he found it slowly easier to predict and anticipate Shirley's reactions. That meant the conditions for solving (and thus controlling) Shirley Fenette were slowly being cleared.<p>

Unfortunately, his newfound data about how love was and how he could use it led him to a slightly disturbing discovery.

Kouzuki Kallen was in love with Zero. Not Lelouch.

Zero.

Of course... at the current moment, it was all conjecture. At least he hoped it was. But in the end, the only way he could know the truth for sure was if he asked her, found out from her himself.

It was one night a few nights ago, when he was sitting cross-legged, arm propping his head up and hand conveniently covering his Geass eye - not that there was anyone to see it, of course. And on that night a few nights ago, he was devising a strategy to make Kallen tell him whether or not she was in love with him and then use it for his own benefit.

(He'd told C.C. that last bit while bouncing ideas, and she kicked him off his bed.)

But the witch did know things. And once again, she was responsible for a fairly important part of his strategy though he would never admit it - and that was the idea that the people he planned to use did not have to be in love with him to the point of admission. So long as they even loved him a little bit, he could use that against them.

He already knew without needing any sort of data that Kallen wouldn't be a person susceptible to sweet words. She liked action, so Lelouch thought of a plan working around that. It was a very good plan.

It began during Kallen's daily training with the Guren. Rakshata didn't say a word when he appeared twenty-five minutes in, for no reason but to watch his best Knight at work.

...Though, as he watched the live Guren simulator feed, and the ease in which she manoeuvred the Knightmare in destroying hundreds of enemy Sutherlands in less time it took him to take off his mask, he couldn't help the feeling of apprehension in the very back of his mind. He disliked the human factor, and when considering how volatile the nature of some women could be there was a fairly high chance that one wrong, miscalculated move could send the entire plan to its doom.

Just like how that last enemy aircraft was hit, then spiralled out of control. He needed to be subtle, he decided, and quickly re-configured The Plan to match.

When Kallen stepped out of the simulator, to the applause of him, Rakshata and anyone else watching, she walked over to him as if she knew he was there. And she did, he knew, because of location, and the emergency hole in the simulator in case it decided to blow up... again.

"Your orders, sir?" Kallen asked.

Lelouch's brain worked overdrive about every variable from her slouch to how long she'd been in there for. Outwardly, Zero lifted an arm and placed it on her shoulder.

"Good work, Kallen," he said, voice showing no hint about how much brainpower it took to decide on three words.

He inclined his head and left, waiting just long enough to see the faint blush on her cheeks. Three hours later he requested the simulator results.

Twenty-five minutes in, Kallen's skill rating jumped 26%.

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><p><strong>AN:** Yes. I'm writing the Lelouch-is-a-stick interpretation of his love life. His actual character would be a little more knowledgeable, but this is more fun. And silly. Sorry about short chapter being short. I find silliness comes in chapters of 1k, and it's harder for me to write more.

Also, everyone means _everyone_, so in order for your preferred characters to appear first, here's a mini-poll for you: Who should be next to appear? Or, should I expand on the beginnings of Lulu/Shirley and Lulu/Kallen? ;)

Review?


	2. The Next Step

**A/N:** Thanks for all your reviews and support! ^^

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><p><strong>Play by Play<br>**_by N. Silvutra Mayhem_

**2: The Next Step**

Rolo watched his brother. Oh sure, he was eating breakfast, but Lelouch took longer than usual to bring what were once scrambled eggs to his mouth – especially considering he was breaking them into oblivion in an absent effort to pick them up.

Another clatter of steel on ceramic, and Rolo sighed. Lelouch looked up.

"Is there something wrong, Rolo?"

"Not really." _Except watching you stab the plate is really annoying._ "Are you worried about something? Are the negotiations going well?"

Lelouch shook his head. "They're fine. It's almost as if Kaguya was born a diplomat."

"Maybe you should take today off," Rolo suggested. "Sayoko can replace you again."

"No, no. I'll go to school."

At those words, he placed his utensils on the now-empty plate before him and got to his feet. He began to leave the room, but he hesitated at the doorway.

"Brother?" Rolo asked.

Lelouch half-turned to face him, an oddly distracted look on his face. "Rolo—I... Can I try something?"

"Of course, brother. I trust you."

It was to his surprise when Lelouch walked around the table to his side. Before Rolo could blink, his brother cupped his face with both hands, the ends of slim pianist's fingers tickling his ears, and gently pressed a kiss to his forehead. Rolo opened his mouth, couldn't say anything, then closed it. He tried again, and a small whisper of _something_ wiggled past his throat, too soft to be heard.

"Was that..." Lelouch began. "Was that okay, Rolo?"

"It—It's fine. I... I..."

Rolo turned away when he felt tears gathering in his eyes. He blinked – it was far too early in the morning to be crying – but the tears only kept flowing.

"Rolo!"

At Lelouch's exclamation, Rolo shook his head; his brother didn't need to worry, he was fine. But when Lelouch let out an aghast, strangled half-gasp under his breath, Rolo realized he'd accidentally done the opposite. For someone who rarely showed such affection it must have been tantamount to rejection.

"Nobody's done that before, nobody's cared that much about me," Rolo said by way of explanation, his words tumbling out in his hurry to speak. He rubbed his eyes on his sleeve and stared down at the un-eaten toast sitting on his plate, then changed his mind and looked up to his brother. "Thank you—I love you, brother."

"I love you too, Rolo." Lelouch smiled. That his expression quickly changed to alarm when he spotted the clock. "I have to go now, Ms. Viletta will kill me. See you later."

"See you."

After Lelouch's silhouette disappeared from view, Rolo decided his toast wouldn't be eaten after all.

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><p>Lelouch, to both his surprise and his chagrin, had been the second person to arrive in the Student Council room. And when he saw Milly wink at him and lick her lips... things clicked.<p>

"There wasn't a meeting, was there?" he asked, walking over to her and placing his bag onto the desk she sat on.

"Couldn't everyone else just be late?" Milly retorted.

"All of them? By ten minutes?"

"Well, you never know."

Lelouch rolled his eyes and took a seat, pulling out his laptop. May as well get some work done, considering Zero needed to appear in person for the rest of the week. "The possibility of such a thing occuring is slim, especially considering Rolo _lives_ here."

"You're no fun, Lulu," she sighed, and flicked his forehead.

"What do you want?"

Another sigh. If they were all real, she would have likely fainted by now. "Well, a little birdie told me that you and Shirley were on a da~te."

How he should have known.

"I fail to see how this should concern you," he said.

"You know, Lulu, the fact that you're talking formally is pretty much a sign I'm right." Milly leant over so she was eye-level to him, despite the fact that she was sideways and her eyes were thus perpendicular to his. "So, did you?"

"I what?"

"Did you kiss?"

Once upon a time, Lelouch would have flushed hot pink and stuttered at the question. Milly noticed, with slight approval, that Lelouch just looked up from his computer screen lazily, with _the_ most uninterested look on his face.

Aww, her Lelouch was all growing up! She felt so proud.

"Milly."

"Hmm?"

"With all these questions about my love life, I have to wonder if you're wanting to be a part of it."

"Oho?" She'd let his line of questioning wander a little further, if only to find where it led. "Couldn't I be interested in Shirley?"

"If you were interested in Shirley, you wouldn't be asking me."

"Not even as an unbiased third-party?"

Without warning, the laptop clicked shut and then Lelouch's face was far too close—oh _**god**_, _far too close_—

"It's funny you consider me as an unbiased third-party," he said, his breath tickling her skin with every word. "Especially since _this_ unbiased third-party was the one who asked Shirley for a date to begin with."

Milly opened her mouth to retort, but the instant she did she became painfully aware of the distance between their mouths.

Or lack of.

Her breath hitched when she realized – at such a close distance – she could see every last spoke and every last splash in those startling purple irises. She'd known that the calculating glint in his eye had been what made her drawn to him, rarely seen outside of chess matches and the occasional mental challenge (which was why she didn't protest too much at his gambling, after all), and for her to see it so close... it were as if she'd only just switched to high definition.

And then... and then those irises disappeared, tucked under closing eyelids, and then he leant forward _and then _there wasn't any distance left between them _and she closed her eyes_—

And Lelouch kissed her on the cheek. He withdrew and then opened his laptop again as if nothing had happened.

Except something _had_ happened.

"L-Lelouch...?"

He looked up. "Yes?"

"You kissed me."

"Yes. I did." For the first time since he'd entered a slight blush dusted his cheeks. "Now you have your kiss, would you mind letting me work now? I may as well be productive since I'm here."

"Okay."

Milly mentally hit herself. Hard. Why was she getting tongue-tied when Lelouch was not? Was it because she actually... well... _liked_ him?

Ridiculous.

She coughed a little to clear her throat, and reminded herself that she was the Ashford heiress – which meant she needed to have some pride – and engaged to one Lloyd Asplund – which meant she was, well, engaged. Not that the thought helped much at all. "So I presume you'll be away for the Student Council meeting tomorrow?"

"I never said that."

"Right." Well. Jumping to conclusions, go her. "I'll leave you to your work now, then. Those treasury reports are always the highlight of your day."

"When Rivalz doesn't finish them?" He looked up at the too-long pause to see her raising her eyebrow, and got the point. "Right. Always when Rivalz never finishes them."

Milly pat him on the head, secretly enjoying the feel of silky hair under her fingers. "You're learning. Good boy."

He shooed her away.

(Retreat: Success.)

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><p><strong>AN:** A bit too descriptive with Milly? Yeah, probably. But I think I'm getting the hang of this romance thing, and I think I'll stick with the two pairings per chapter thing for at least a little longer. Don't reinvent the wheel, as they say.

As always, I'd love to hear from you! If you want your favourite Lelouch pairing to appear, even if it has already (I can just explore it more, ne?) then please, do say so – I can't read minds, you see. ^^


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